Former Verizon employee pleads guilty to conspiring to aid Chinese spy agency | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ping Li gave the Chinese government information about the country\u2019s hacking of a major U.S. company and cyber training materials, the DOJ said.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Verizon employee pleads guilty to conspiring to aid Chinese spy agency\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ping Li gave the Chinese government information about the country\u2019s hacking of a major U.S. company and cyber training materials, the DOJ said.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency\/\"> <meta 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<\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.084006462036\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"31.305660377358\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/geopolitics\/\"> <span>Geopolitics<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Ping Li gave the Chinese government information about the country\u2019s hacking of a major U.S. company and cyber training materials, the DOJ said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"409\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency.jpg?resize=640%2C409&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=300,192 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=768,492 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=1024,655 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=1536,983 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=600,384 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=262,168 262w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=526,337 526w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=1055,675 1055w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-2.jpg?resize=1317,843 1317w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1055px) 100vw, 1055px\"><figcaption> Security guards hold back the crowd during a distance running event to promote the 2008 Olympic Games in China in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. The Chinese government worked with the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Public Security and the armed forces to ensure security ahead of the Summer Olympics. (Photo by China Photos\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"23.803944315545\"><body readability=\"50.203856749311\"><\/p>\n<p>A former Verizon employee pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to serve as an agent of the People\u2019s Republic of China, namely by using his job to send information about Chinese enemies to a spy agency there, as well as details related to cyber incidents.<\/p>\n<p>Ping Li <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/florida-telecommunications-and-information-technology-worker-pleads-guilty-conspiring-act\">faces up to five years<\/a> in prison for his contacts with the Ministry of State Security. He provided information on Chinese dissidents, pro-democracy advocates and members of the Falun Gong religious movement, as well as U.S.-based nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese-born, Florida-dwelling Li worked for Verizon for more than 20 years, according to his attorney, Daniel Fernandez.<\/p>\n<p>Li exploited his position with the telecommunications company to provide the information via anonymous online accounts, but also traveled to China, according to the Justice Department. He sent details like the name and biographical information of a Falun Gong member and materials related to cybersecurity training upon request of the Chinese ministry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIn May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting United States companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major United States company by the Chinese government,\u201d according to the Justice Department. He delivered that information within four days.<\/p>\n<p>When arrested, Li was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/florida-telecommunications-and-information-technology-worker-charged-acting-agent-prc\">charged with<\/a> both acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and conspiring to do so. If convicted on both charges, he would have served up to 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Fernandez said the reduction to a single count indicates a \u201crealization that this was not an egregious violation.\u201d At the same time, Fernandez said, it \u201csends a message the government intended to send \u2014 you cannot provide information to foreign governments without getting authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe made a major mistake of providing information to an individual he knew was an agent of the Chinese government,\u201d Fernandez said. The person was someone \u201che grew up with in China and happens to be an agent for the Chinese government,\u201d and Fernandez said he supplied that person \u201cwith innocuous information that was publicly available from Google.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":5009,"date":"2024-08-23T14:37:49","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T19:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81493"},"modified":"2024-08-23T14:37:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T19:37:49","slug":"former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/08\/23\/former-verizon-employee-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-aid-chinese-spy-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Verizon employee pleads guilty to conspiring to aid Chinese spy agency"},"content":{"rendered":"